


December 24, 1991, 9 PM and Events Preceding

by csichick_2



Category: Rent - Larson
Genre: Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-19
Updated: 2014-05-19
Packaged: 2018-01-25 18:05:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1657568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/csichick_2/pseuds/csichick_2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On Christmas Eve, Roger reflects on how they got to this point.</p>
            </blockquote>





	December 24, 1991, 9 PM and Events Preceding

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ecaracap](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ecaracap/gifts).



> Passing reference to death of a character with no actual role in the story.
> 
> For my enabler ecaracap, who talked through this bunny with me.

Roger watches Mark rock Elijah to sleep and wonders, not for the first time, how they got to this point. Even the fact that Mark actually slept with someone is a bit of a surprise to Roger, less so than the fact that it was a one-night stand.   It’s no secret that Maureen really screwed him up when it came to relationships. And that makes the rest of it completely surreal.

 

It started after Mimi died – a few months after her miraculous Christmas Eve recovery. Mark refused to let Roger out of his sight for longer than five minutes for fear that he would do something stupid. Mark banging on the door if he took too long in the shower was annoying, but he actually didn’t mind Mark’s insistence on them sleeping in the same bed. It was still cold at night, and they didn’t have any heat, so having someone in bed with him meant he wasn’t halfway to an icicle when he woke up in the morning. Neither of them is certain who started it, but one night, instead of simply sleeping, they ended up making out for hours. There still is no sexual component to their relationship – because of Roger’s paranoia about accidentally infecting Mark, even if they are careful – but they are a couple now.

 

After that night, Mark stopped watching Roger’s every move, trusting that their relationship would be enough to keep him from relapsing or taking his own life. They had just told Collins – who seemed completely unsurprised – and were about to tell Maureen and Joanne, when _she_ showed up. Mark’s one-night stand, the woman he slept with while Roger was in Santa Fe. And she was definitely pregnant. Roger is tempted to run, figuring that Mark is going to do the right thing with respect to this girl, but Mark’s hand on his arm and the look on his face makes him stay. And considering the way the conversation went, Roger’s glad he did.

 

It turned out that this girl – who’s name Roger immediately forgot - didn’t want the child, and if Mark didn’t want it either, she was going to give the child up for adoption. Despite all the reasons that raising a child in this environment was a very, very bad idea, Roger wasn’t at all surprised when Mark said yes. Given Mark’s relationship track record, they both know this is probably his only opportunity to have a child of his own. Roger also likes the fact that having to be responsible for another human being means that Mark can’t do anything stupid when Roger’s gone. And for Roger, it means that he no longer sees being HIV positive as an inevitable death sentence, but instead something to fight against. He knows the disease is ultimately going to be what kills him, but he’s not just going to sit back and wait – he’s going to do everything he can to be around for Mark and this child as long as possible.

 

Telling Collins about the kid was a lot harder than telling him about their relationship. Despite all his outward appearances of happiness for them, Mark and Roger both knew that it hit home because children were something he’d never have. When they finally got around to telling Maureen and Joanne about their relationship, Maureen was completely smug, declaring that she was surprised it hadn’t happened sooner. And as for the baby, let’s just say that all of Maureen’s diabolical plans hinged on it being a girl, so they were very glad when they ended up with a boy instead.

 

For any number of reasons, some of them more obvious than others, Mark’s name was the only one on the birth certificate, but he insisted on baby Elijah having Davis as his middle name. Despite describing the work as soul-sucking, Mark had managed to get his position at Buzzline back, since Elijah’s presence meant that one of them actually had to have an income. Roger’s been writing songs again, on the off chance that one of them leads to something.

 

About a month after Elijah was born, Benny showed up at the apartment one day while Roger was alone with the baby because Mark was working. He still doesn’t know who tipped Benny off, because Elijah was actually the reason he dropped by. Roger will probably always think that Benny’s dick, but it turns out he’s a dick that cares for the well-being of children, as he’d brought over enough space heaters to heat the entire apartment and returned what little they’d been able to pay him that year, tell Roger that Elijah needed the money more than he did.

 

And that brings them to this night. December 24, 1991, 9 PM. For the first time in years they were neither hungry nor frozen, and Benny’s goodwill had held up, so they also didn’t have to worry about the rent. Roger didn’t know how long this peaceful life with Mark and Elijah was going to last, but he wasn’t going to waste a single second.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Cold Night in the Loft](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1846288) by [csichick_2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/csichick_2/pseuds/csichick_2)




End file.
